· From the Desk of

Rep. Dovilla

· At the Statehouse

· Around the 7th

· Upcoming Events

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Sally King

Grindstone Award Recipient

Dwight OltmanRetirement from Baldwin

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Joe HatteryMax McLaughlin

Kevin RowanTroop 701 Eagle Scouts

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From the Desk of Rep. Dovilla Dear 7th District Resident: Greetings from the People’s House! The first full month ofspring was a busy time at the Ohio Statehouse and around thecommunities of the 7th District – Berea, North Royalton, Olmsted Falls,Olmsted Township, and Strongsville. On the legislative front, the House of Representatives has beenworking its way through the Mid-biennium Budget Review (MBR), asubstantial proposal of policy reforms and Fiscal Year 2014-2015 budgetadjustments from the Kasich Administration. Many of the bills thatcomprise this package have been passed by the House and are nowpending in the Senate; others remain in House committees foradditional legislative mark-up in the coming weeks. On April 9, theHouse recessed to allow members time to work in their districts; we arescheduled to return for our next voting session on May 7. Closer to home, we have maintained a particularly activeschedule while the House and most of its standing committees havebeen in recess. Spring marks a celebratory time each year for EagleScout courts of honor, commencement exercises and other year-endceremonies at schools and organizations, as well as our regular meetingswith constituents, small business visits, and speaking engagements at avariety of civic groups. If you would like me to visit your local club ororganization to offer an update on state government, please contact ouroffice. We also wrapped up our semi-annual series of district officehours at public libraries in April; we have now held 28 suchopportunities during my period of service in the legislature. Stay tunedfor the next round of meetings in the fall; they are a great opportunityfor a one-on-one, no appointment necessary visit to share your opinionswith me as your state legislator. Thank you for the continuing opportunity to represent you andyour family at the Statehouse and throughout our communities ofsouthwest Cuyahoga County. It is always a pleasure to hear fromconstituents, whether to hear your opinion on an issue, provide supportwith casework, or offer recognition at an event. Feel free to contact me

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if I may be of assistance; simply call 614-466-4895 or send an e-mail toRep07@ohiohouse.gov. We hope to hear from you soon! Sincerely, State Representative Mike Dovilla

At the Statehouse

The Mid-biennium Budget Review (MBR) has been the mainlegislative focus of the House this spring. This package of budgetadjustments and policy proposals numbered 1,620 pages when Gov.Kasich’s administration presented it to the General Assembly. In orderto manage such a massive proposal, the House divided the original bill(House Bill 472) into 14 measures, which were referred to 11 standingcommittees for action. On April 9, the House passed nine of these 14bills by wide bipartisan or even unanimous votes before concluding itswork prior to a recess that will run until May 7, the day after Ohio’sprimary election. Among these bills was House Bill 488, the veterans/highereducation portion of the MBR, which I am honored to sponsor for thesecond consecutive General Assembly. As we discussed in last month’snewsletter, this legislation will substantively revise the optionsavailable to Ohio’s veterans who seek college degrees or occupationallicenses. The bill will create for the first time a uniform process forawarding college credits to veterans for military training. Byestablishing the Military Articulation and Transfer Assurance Guide,state institutions of higher education will have a baseline of standardsfor granting college credit for military experience. The bill will alsorequire the state’s institutions of higher education to adopt a policyregarding veterans’ support and assistance, an important action to helpour returning service members transition from military to civilian life inan academic environment. House Bill 488 unanimously passed theHouse by a vote of 92-0 on April 9 and is now pending in the Senate. With two-thirds of the 130th General Assembly now complete,this is a good time to evaluate the progress of my legislative agenda for2013-2014. During my freshman term (2011-2012), I was pleased to haveeight bills I authored enacted as state law. This session, we areadvancing the following initiatives, some of which have been signedinto law and others of which are in various stages of the legislativeprocess:

· H.B. 49: Ohio Elder Justice Act (passed House; pending in Senate)

· H.B. 62: “Welcome to Ohio” (enacted in H.B. 51, biennialtransportation budget)

· H.B. 77: Ohio Manufacturing Month – October (enacted)

· H.B. 162: Public corruption/pension reform (passed House;

pending in Senate)

· H.B. 218: Entrepreneur-in-Residence (passed House; pending inSenate)

· H.B. 259: Economic gardening (passed House in H.B. 483; pendingin Senate)

· H.B. 439: Whistleblower protection (pending in Housecommittee)

· H.B. 471: Identity theft protection (passed House in H.B. 494;pending in Senate)

· H.B. 474: Ohio Beekeepers Association license plate (pending inHouse committee)

· H.B. 488: Veterans MBR (passed House; pending in Senate) If you are interested in more details on a specific bill, or you have alegislative concept of your own, please contact our office.

Around the 7th

With the House standing in recess from voting sessions sinceApril 9 for the Easter/Passover holidays and district work period, it hasbeen a busy few weeks around our communities here in southwestCuyahoga County. Among the activities in which I have participated arethe following: On April 13, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 701 in OlmstedFalls conducted an Eagle Scout Court of Honor where we presentedHouse commendations to those who have earned this highest rank inScouting. On April 17, I met with representatives of the Berea Federationof Teachers and the Cleveland Teachers Union for a discussion ofeducation issues. On April 18, I visited with Drs. Deucher and Sharma, cardiologistsat Southwest General Health Center, for a discussion of health careissues and tour of the facility’s new emergency department. On April 21, I participated in the monthly meeting of the OhioTurnpike and Infrastructure Commission in Berea. On April 21, I met with Tim Zvonchek, Commander of Veteransof Foreign Wars Post 3345, for a discussion of veterans affairs issues. On April 22, I attended the 47th Annual Grindstone AwardDinner and presented a House commendation to Sally King, the worthyrecipient of this year’s award. On April 23, I visited Strongsville High School to speak tojunior/senior government classes on state government issues.

On April 25, I attended the 5th Annual Kiwanis Empty Bowldinner at Berea-Midpark High School to raise funds for local food banks. On April 26, I hosted district office hours at the Strongsvillebranch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. On April 26, I presented a House commendation to David Geier,owner of Golf: Inside and Out, a small business that recently relocatedfrom North Royalton to a larger location in Strongsville. On April 26, I attended a memorial ceremony and plaquededication for the late Charles F. Burke, Professor Emeritus of PoliticalScience at Baldwin Wallace University. On April 27, I appeared as a guest on “Kelly and Company” radioprogram with Tom Kelly on WHK 1420AM. On April 27, I presented House commendations to four newlyminted Eagle Scouts of BSA Troop 201 at St. Mary of the Falls in OlmstedFalls. On April 28, I met with Chris Russo and Mark Bivenour,proprietor and executive vice president, respectively, of The BrewKettle for a tour of their production works and offices in Strongsville.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming dates of note on my official calendar and in ourcommunity include the following:

· May 9: Groundbreaking of new middle school, Strongsville

· May 10: The Essential Race to support Wounded Warrior Project,Olmsted Township

· May 10: Graduate commencement, Baldwin Wallace University,Berea

· May 11: Undergraduate commencement, Baldwin WallaceUniversity, Berea

· May 12: Legislator for a Day assemblies, Falls Lenox PrimarySchool, Olmsted Falls

· May 17: Alumni Celebration, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea

· May 26: Memorial Day commemoration with VFW Post 3345,Strongsville

· May 29: Olmsted Falls High School Commencement

· May 30: North Royalton High School Commencement

· June 1: Strongsville High School Commencement

· June 3: Berea-Midpark High School Commencement

For more information on any event or to submit an event for inclusion ina future issue of the 7th District Newsletter, please email our office atRep07@ohiohouse.gov. Thank you!